How should you divide Shizuoka City and Atami?
Stay near Shizuoka Station for Mount Fuji and Suruga Bay views and ornate shrine architecture, or Atami Station for former villas, art and seaside walks. With one or two nights, focus on one city; with three or four, change hotels from Shizuoka to Atami. Choose visit order around museum closures, ropeway suspensions and your final departure.
Views/shrine or villa/art?
Choose Nihondaira with Toshogu or Atami’s architecture, art and coast. Shrine stairs and MOA escalators remain after transport. Compare scenery walks with paid interiors and closures.
Itineraries by trip length
Stay near Shizuoka for summit views and castle history, or in Atami for the villa, art and coast on separate days. To visit both, allow a day for train travel and changing hotels. Adjust visits and their order for displays and ropeway suspensions.
1 night, 2 days
Add coast or shrine to Kiunkaku. Slopes require shorter visits for late arrival or morning departure.
2 nights, 3 days
Choose Shizuoka’s art museum, Toshogu and castle park, or Atami’s Kiunkaku, MOA and beach. Stay in one city and give each visit a separate day.
3 nights, 4 days
Compare Nihondaira then Atami transfer with the same Atami hotel. Staying put adds Kinomiya; transferring combines mountain and coast.
4 nights, 5 days
See both cities, adding Kinomiya or city art. The shrine option uses one Shizuoka night and three Atami nights; the art option uses two nights in each city, with different transfer dates.
Where should you stay?
Shizuoka City · 静岡市
Shizuoka Station suits meals and onward train travel. Choose a Nihondaira bus reaching the summit, checking its boarding point separately from Higashi-Shizuoka departures.
Atami · 熱海
Atami Station suits arrival and onward trains. Walks to Kiunkaku, Kinomiya Shrine and the coast have slopes; check your hotel address and uphill return. For large luggage, check the booked hotel’s storage first. Prince Smart Inn Atami is about three minutes from the station, offering first-come lockers before check-in only, without post-check-out storage. Other hotels have different conditions.
Prince Smart Inn Atami · プリンス スマート イン 熱海
Check these separately from your itinerary
Match openings with your final departure
Check Kiunkaku Wednesdays and MOA Thursdays/display changes, with holiday exceptions. City art and castle Monday rules differ too. For morning departure, move coast, Kiunkaku or castle earlier, or omit them. Check train stops and return services for actual dates.
Kiunkaku: admission and hoursMOA visitor guideCity art museum: station accessSumpu Castle Park: fees and access
Check luggage storage separately
Before-check-in and after-check-out conditions can differ. Prince Smart Inn Atami lists first-come lockers on the stay day before check-in, without post-check-out storage. Before hillside walks or city transfer, check your booked hotel and alternative storage locations/fees. Storage is excluded from partial totals.
Transport, food and related guides
Japan transport guide
Use buses for Nihondaira and trains when moving to Atami. Check each transport method separately.
Japan transport guide →Rail pass guide
Compare Fuji/Shizuoka mini-pass conventional-line coverage. This route’s Kodama, Nihondaira buses/ropeway and MOA buses are separate; compare ordinary fares.
Rail pass guide →Restaurants and reservations
Combine a tea break with Nihondaira. For Shimizu fish market, plan separate travel towards Shimizu Station. In Atami, choose a fish lunch area according to whether hotel dinner is included. Check each restaurant’s prices and days. Confirm city, opening, menu and reservation conditions. Meals are outside partial totals.
Restaurants and reservations →Region name
Shizuoka Prefecture · 静岡県
Visits in Shizuoka City and Atami
Choose art and the park near Shizuoka Station, or the villa, art and coast in Atami. Allow separate time for train travel and viewing on days when you change hotels.
Shizuoka Station north side and city art
For indoor art after arrival, the city museum is close: official underground walk three minutes to Aoi Tower’s third floor. Fees vary; JPY 1,600 applies to Renoir same-day admission 22 September–15 November 2026.
City art museum: opening calendarCity art museum: Renoir fees
Sumpu Castle Park and station area
Walk about 15 minutes for castle history. Free park and paid gate/turret interiors differ. Reception ends 16:00; for late arrival, choose what remains accessible.
Sumpu Castle Park: fees and accessSumpu Castle Park: visiting areas
Nihondaira views and Kunozan Toshogu
Choose terrace views, adding the ropeway and Toshogu for architecture. About 80 steps remain after the ropeway. The terrace building charges admission from October 2026; the outdoor corridor is free. The planned 1–21 December suspension prevents this shrine connection.
Yume Terrace: visitor guideShizutetsu Nihondaira Ropeway: visitor guideShizutetsu: December suspension
Below Atami Station: Kiunkaku and Sun Beach
Visit the villa and garden, then walk along the coast. Each is officially about 20 minutes from the station; allow extra time for the uphill return and boarding. The beach water park, rentals and parking are excluded.
Kiunkaku official tourism: 20-minute station walkSun Beach seasonal use and station accessAtami City: beach, promenade and seasonal swimming
Kinomiya Shrine and MOA in Atami
Choose the camphor tree and grounds or art. The shrine’s official station walk is 18 minutes; MOA requires a separate bus from stand 8, followed by about ten minutes on escalators. Check closures and return buses before viewing.
Official shrine access and worship hoursMOA visitor guideMOA: Art Street and escalator access
Directions from hotels and stations
These stations are in different cities. Add waits, transfers and walking to ride times, choosing same-date returns. Adjust walks to actual hotel addresses and passage signs. Map estimates exclude waiting/viewing.
| Section | Transport | Official access and planning |
|---|---|---|
| Shizuoka Station → city art | North-exit underground passage to Aoi Tower third floor, about three minutes | Separate from the prefectural museum |
| Shizuoka Station → castle park | About 15 minutes to park, then paid exhibition entrance | Park and exhibition entrances differ |
| Station → Nihondaira → station | Bus to ropeway terminus, views/ropeway, return from same terminus | Weekday return table; use actual weekend/holiday table. Return fare excluded |
| Atami Station → Kiunkaku/Sun Beach | About 20 minutes to each, plus walking between them and visits | Official Kiunkaku walk; allow uphill station return |
| Atami Station → Kinomiya | Official 1.6 km/18-minute walk | Check separate routes/fares if choosing buses |
| Atami Station → MOA → station | Stand 8 bus to terminus, escalators to main building, return bus | M services suspended on museum closing days; check both directions |
| Shizuoka Station → Atami Station | Tokaido Shinkansen Kodama; buy for destination and seating | Distinguish conventional/Shinkansen fares and pass coverage |
Weekday return timetableCity art museum: opening calendarSumpu Castle Park: fees and accessKiunkaku official tourism: 20-minute station walkSun Beach seasonal use and station accessOfficial shrine access and worship hoursMOA visitor guideJR Central: Kodama dates, routes and fares
Food in Shizuoka City and Atami
Choose meals near your visits or on the station return. Menus and opening days vary; meals are excluded from route totals.
Shizuoka City: oden and kurohanpen
Shizuoka oden cooks ingredients in dark beef-tendon/soy broth, served with powdered stock and green laver. Kurohanpen is fish cake made from ground mackerel, sardines and other fish. Aoba Oden Street/Yokocho are officially about 15 minutes from Shizuoka Station; check shop hours. They are not nearby additions to Atami days.
Atami: dried fish and onsen manju
Consider dried fish for meals/gifts; transport-ministry tourism material introduces Atami/Ajiro products. Steamed onsen manju are snacks separate from meals. For included hotel dinner, avoid duplicating lunch; check fish, preparation and price with the shop.
Partial costs and pass coverage
Courses A and B visit different cities and use different transport. Do not reuse one subtotal as another route’s budget.
Nihondaira return buses
Choose summit-bound and station-bound services together. The checked outward fare is JPY 710; return travel costs extra. Only the outward journey is in the subtotal, which does not cover full return transport.
Weekday outward timetableWeekday return timetableShizutetsu: section fares, outward checked/return unconfirmed
Mt. Fuji–Shizuoka Area Tourist Pass Mini
Official map includes conventional Atami–Toyohashi, not Shinkansen. It cannot replace Kodama, Nihondaira/MOA buses or ropeway. Compare eligibility, dates, actual sections and ordinary fares. Three consecutive days do not cover all five days.
Ropeway suspension 1–21 December 2026
Equipment works prevent the ropeway shrine-return route then. Terrace-only views still require bus/opening checks.
Frequently asked questions
Do these two-city routes change hotels?
The four-day route uses one Shizuoka night and two Atami nights. The five-day route uses one Shizuoka night and three Atami nights, or two nights in each city. To stay in one city without transferring, choose its two-night route. Select an Atami-stopping Kodama and allow time to walk to Kiunkaku before entry closes.
JR Central: basic eastbound timetableJR Central: Kodama dates, routes and faresKiunkaku: admission and hoursKiunkaku: directions
Official sources and confirmation dates
- Official hotel access ·
- Luggage-storage FAQ ·
- Yume Terrace: visitor guide ·
- Shizutetsu Nihondaira Ropeway: visitor guide ·
- Shizutetsu: December suspension ·
- Kiunkaku: admission and hours ·
- Kiunkaku: directions ·
- Official shrine access and worship hours ·
- Sun Beach seasonal use and station access ·
- Atami Port: official English tourism ·
- City art museum: Renoir fees ·
- City art museum: station access ·
- City art museum: opening calendar ·
- Sumpu Castle Park: fees and access ·
- Sumpu Castle Park: visiting areas ·
- Kiunkaku official tourism: 20-minute station walk ·
- MOA visitor guide ·
- Weekday outward timetable ·
- Weekday return timetable ·
- JR Central: basic eastbound timetable ·
- Official facility and transport guides ·
- JR Central: Kodama dates, routes and fares ·
- MOA: Art Street and escalator access ·
- Shizutetsu: section fares, outward checked/return unconfirmed ·
- JR Central/West: Fuji–Shizuoka mini-pass lines ·
- Shizuoka City: oden streets, food and station walks ·
- Atami City: beach, promenade and seasonal swimming ·